Leif Davis says he is expecting another intense meeting with Leicester City this weekend, the Blues having drawn each of the last three meetings with the Foxes.

Town make their final away trip of the season on Sunday and head to the King Power Stadium locked with Leicester on 22 points in the Premier League this season.

With both sides having already been relegated, victory for the Blues will likely guarantee 18th place in the table which would be worth around an additional £3 million in prize money.

Davis, who will be returning from a three-match suspension this weekend, is anticipating a similar affair to the two teams’ matches against each other in the past two seasons.

“It’s been toe-to-toe every game,” he said. “Especially the last three times we’ve played them it’s been 1-1. Jeremy [Sarmiento] scored late on away at their place in the Championship then this year they scored late to equalise.

“It will be another good game, we can’t go into the game with heads down, we’ve got to go flat to the floor and see what happens.

“With the games against Southampton as well which would be a similar comparison, them games have felt more like a derby just because we were the closest teams going up, we were always fighting against them to see who is going to go top, second or into the play-offs.

“That’s why them games were what they were like – intense games, atmosphere was good, both teams played good football. Sunday is just going to be another game like that.”

The left-back's only Premier League goal this season came against the Foxes in the reverse fixture at Portman Road in November, a match that ultimately ended all square after Kalvin Phillips’ controversial red card and Jordan Ayew’s stoppage-time leveller.

“It was my first Premier League goal which I was delighted about,” Davis reflected. “But it wasn’t the three points that we should have got in the game. We’ve had good games with Leicester in the past two years as well so it’s going to be a difficult game.

“Two teams that aren’t just going to throw it out the window, we’re going to fight for the game as well and they’re going to fight to get the points on the board to see who’s going to finish higher in the table. It’s going to be a good game.

“You want to try and finish in the best possible place in the table. 18th isn’t great but it’s higher than the other two teams that got promoted with us so you could say that we’ve had a better season than them.”

The clash will also mark the final appearance for Leicester legend Jamie Vardy, exactly 13 years on from signing for the club from Fleetwood Town.

Vardy will play for the Foxes for a 500th time and will be chasing a milestone 200th goal for the club, but Davis says the Blues are around to spoil the party.

On the former England international, he said: “He’s had an incredible career. It’s his 500th game and it’s a dream to play 500 games. It’s going to be one of them where he’s raring to go to score on his last game for Leicester. We’re going to have to do everything we can to keep him quiet.”

By his own admission, Davis has found life in the Premier League challenging and a significant step-up from the previous swashbuckling seasons in League One and the Championship.

Despite this, he has still managed to start 30 of the Blues’ 36 league matches this term and had played every minute until his withdrawal at half-time against Liverpool in January.

The 25-year-old admitted his confidence has taken a hit in recent months, but insists working with manager Kieran McKenna has enabled him to rebuild the belief in his own ability.

He said: “It’s been a great experience to play in the best league in the world against the best teams in the world. On a personal note, a bit disappointed with the performances knowing my quality that I can do and I lost a lot of confidence in games as well.

“It’s just about building that confidence back up because you’re playing against the best players in the world, you’re going to get done a lot and you’ve got to work hard in training to stop that.

“I did lose a lot of confidence in games, probably the majority in the second half of the season and lost a lot of form. That’s not just stuff on the pitch, a lot of stuff off the pitch as well that I had going on.

“I know my qualities and I know I can play in this league, hopefully we’ll be back here soon.

“I’ve had a lot of chats with the manager. He’s helped me a lot in training as well trying to build that back up because he knows my quality as he sees me every day, especially the lads I’m training with know my quality.

“It’s working on it with him, the past three weeks being suspended has helped a lot where he’s worked with me closely one-to-one doing extra stuff. I feel as though I’m starting to find my confidence back again, so hopefully if I get chosen to play on the weekend I can show that I’m ready to go again.”

Like so many of his Town teammates, Davis says he has loved the experience of playing regularly in the top flight for the first time in his career and that has only given him the hunger to return to the level as soon as possible.

“Yeah, 100 per cent,” he said. “You want to be playing at the best level you can. The past two years as a team we’ve achieved a lot, I would probably say we’ve overachieved if anything.

“When I came here, I didn’t think I was going to get promoted twice in two years. The journey we’ve been on has been incredible and hopefully next year we can push on again and get back into the Prem.

“The past two years are the only two years I’ve had a good run in football. Playing consistently every game in League One and the Championship, if I did have another year in the Championship then I probably would have been a lot more ready for the Prem.

“I had to try and grab it with both hands and do the best I could and I don’t think I did do that in the games I’ve played in this year. I’ve lacked a lot of confidence and lost confidence.

“In the past three games that I’ve been suspended, I feel as though I’ve got my confidence back. Hopefully if I do get chosen I can show what I know I can do.”

On manager McKenna, Davis added: “His standards are always high, as are the players in the changing room. Even two days after it was announced that we were relegated, everyone came in heads down focused on the next game.

“That’s the mentality that we’ve got in the changing room, a strong group of lads and we just want to work hard and learn every day to get better.”

TWTD

johnwarksshorts added 13:55 - May 17 Keep going Leif you'll get your confidence back. You know what they say, "Style is permanent, form is temporary"
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WhoisJimmyJuan added 13:59 - May 17 I like Leif's honesty a lot and wonder if something has been going on in his personal life which has affected his performances. He needs support from Town fans now, not slagging off. Get him back to last seasons form in the Championship
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